Kevin Mayer: “I do athletics to perform, not to achieve minimums, I am made to achieve maximums!”

The relief of the Montpellier player was equal to the pressure on his shoulders. MAXPPP – STADION-ACTU

Kevin Mayer, who narrowly managed to meet the qualifying minimums for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the end of the decathlon at the European Athletics Championships in Rome on Tuesday, June 11, less than three weeks before the deadline, was “afraid of everything”.

How did you experience this decathlon ?

The pole vault is two hours where I say to myself: "If I clear a bar, I'm in the Olympics, if I don't clear a bar, I'm starting from scratch". After such a long decathlon, it got to me nervously. When I cleared the bar at five meters, I had a huge drop in blood pressure, and nervously afterwards, I didn't know where I was until now. I don't know how I threw 69m in the javelin, there's nothing that answers anymore. The wait for the 1500m was long: my vision was blurry, my blood pressure dropped when I got up, and I was simply scared.

Also read: European Athletics Championships: that’s it, Kevin Mayer validates his ticket for the Olympic Games! Makenson Gletty in bronze

I was afraid of breaking down, I was afraid of having cramps, I was afraid of everything. When they left (on 1 500 m), I didn't understand, I had worked to make this rhythm of 4'40'', and Suddenly, it seemed three times faster. But I did the minimums, that's it, I don't realize it yet. I'm a little disgusted with my 1 500 m frankly, but I think it's really the definition of all the weight that has been weighing on my chest since (the 2023 Worlds in) Budapest.

They only talked to me about the minimums and that’s something that doesn’t please me at all. I do athletics to achieve performances, not to achieve minimums, I am made to achieve maximums! The next decaf (at the Paris Olympics), it won't be the same!

The pressure of the minimums will be followed by the pressure of the Olympics…

With the decathlon that I just did, I won't even have the pressure of the favorite, it's perfect! I know what a pleasure it is to go to the Olympics, but I don’t yet know what pleasure it is to be in the Stade de France. It's been my dream since 2006, when there was the Paris 2012 bid. I finished a decathlon without any injury, with very good adjustments for the future, with lots of positive things to show that I'm still at my level, others are working but I'm not really worried.

What will be your program between now and the Olympics?

It was the longest decathlon of my life, we started very early, we finished very late. I have no idea how I'm going to recover from this. What is certain is that I have no injuries, which is very positive. I will be able to do high-intensity athletics to be much stronger in Paris.